Variations of the Type-15
Shuttle

The Type-15 shuttlepod, like many other vessels, was
subject to a number of modifications during its lifetime, in order to fulfill
the requirements of specific episodes. The shuttle exists in the form of a small
miniature, which was used to film the shuttle in space, and as a complete
full-scale exterior and interior set.

During the seven years of TNG the shuttle's outer appearance
was modified just once. In addition, at one time the basic lettering scheme was
amended beyond the customary change of the shuttle's name and/or number. The interior, on the
other hand, was redressed a couple of times, depending on whether the shuttle
was supposed to carry additional cargo or additional crew members.

The Type-15 shuttle appeared in the following TNG
episodes:

1. TNG:
"Time Squared"

2. TNG: "The
Ensigns of Command"

3. TNG: "The
Price"

4. TNG:
"The Most Toys"

5. TNG:
"Transfigurations"

6. TNG:
"Devil's Due"

7. TNG:
"Identity Crisis"

8. TNG: "The
Mind's Eye"

9. TNG: "In
Theory"

10. TNG:
"Power Play"

11.
TNG: "The Outcast"

12. TNG:
"True Q"

13.
TNG: "Descent, Parts I and II"

Shuttle
Design

The concept drawings by Rick Sternbach
facilitate the identification of some of the shuttle's features, and especially
of the internal arrangement. We can see that there is a slanting wall about 1m
behind the two chairs and 50 cm behind the trailing edges of the doors. The
impulse engine is located in the aft wall, leaving no room behind the aft wall
and the slanting wall inside the shuttle for a possible cargo storage. The
impulse engine, however, is not recognizable as such on the full-scale mock-up
of the shuttle but was only added in the form of visual effects to the shots of
the miniature.

Analysis

TNG: Time Squared

The shuttlepod showed up for the very first time as a
miniature. We can see that it is the El-Baz (underneath the windshield and on
both sides near the forward end) with the registry "05" (printed in
very large font sizes on the roof, underneath the windshield and on both sides behind
the doors). We can read "USS Enterprise" on the doors between the red
stripes and "NCC-1701-D" towards the aft end. "NCC-1701-D"
is also printed underneath the windshield above the big "05".

The miniature can be seen in the episode up to the point
when the shuttle has been tractored in and the shuttlebay door has been closed.
After a cut, the full-scale mock-up is shown in the same position and from the same
angle.

Inside the cockpit there are two black leather chairs which can
be folded down just like the seats in a car. A slightly sloped wall is located
just behind these two seats. It consists of an LCARS screen on the top and three
smaller displays with greenish illumination.

The Type-15 mock-up was composed of separate portions that
were just laid out next to each other and not solidly joined: the fuselage, the
nacelles and a wedge under the shuttle's nose. The latter, which cannot be found
in the original design sketch, may have been added to conceal the casters on
which the fuselage was mounted. Anyway, when the mock-up was repeatedly
assembled and disassembled in "Time Squared", two errors occurred. The
wedge was turned upside down from one shot to another and remained in this wrong
orientation for the rest of the episode. Also, the left and the right nacelle
were switched at one time.

TNG: The Ensigns of Command

Nothing was changed for this episode except for the shuttle's name. Although the
big number "05" indicates that it should be still the El-Baz, the name
is now Onizuka. It must be noted that the "original" El-Baz
survived the events of "Time Squared" and only the duplicate from the
future vanished, and that the El-Baz, still or again with the number
"05" will show up in later episodes. This error will be corrected
later. When the Onizuka reappears, it will be with the registry "07".

TNG: The Price

Some
time prior to this episode it was decided to modify the basic lettering of the
full-scale model and the miniature, which is now named Ley, Shuttlepod 09. Most noticeably
the big registry "05" was removed. In fact, no other number
like this was ever visible on a Type-15 shuttle. The obvious reason for this
modification: It would have been quite an effort to repaint the big number for
each episode in which (for the sake of variety) a different shuttlepod was going
to be launched. The outlines of such big repainted labels may still have been
visible. Moreover, with the big labels it was almost impossible to use stock
footage without everyone noticing it. On the port and starboard sides the "05" was replaced with
the label "1701-D". Vise versa, the former "NCC-1701-D" on
the side walls was removed in favor of a label "Shuttlepod ##" in a
very narrow font.

Inside the shuttle set, we can still
make out the large LCARS display with the three smaller panels.

There is also a non-illuminated LCARS panel attached to the inside of the fuselage. This panel does not appear in any other views of this area in other episodes. Since the Shuttlepod Ley is not used in any other episode, that makes it unique to the Ley.

TNG: The Most Toys

We
can see in TNG: "The Most Toys" that the Pike, Shuttlepod 12, is
equipped with a
"trunk", which serves to carry containers with highly volatile hytritium
here. It should be noted that the whole rear wall of the shuttle can be opened
like a "trunk lid", and that there is not the slightest sign of a
propulsion system in that part of the shuttle (which would be an outrageously
bad idea in consideration of the hytritium). The containers are a bit more
than 50cm long and are stored in a horizontal orientation in the aft compartment. In order to allow for this additional cargo without compromising
the consistency of the design, the cockpit was accordingly shortened. We can see
that the former console at the rear end is gone, and that a blue carpeted(!)
wall cuts off the cockpit directly behind the seats and the side door.

TNG: Transfigurations

We can see the El-Baz, Shuttlepod 05, in the shuttlebay. We are only shown the
very front tip of the full-scale model on which the label "El-Baz" was
accordingly restored. All shots showing the entire shuttle, on the other hand,
are evidently stock footage from "Time Squared" - the
miniature as well as the full-scale model has been completely relabeled in the
meantime. The only change in "Transfigurations" is that a new
shuttlebay background was inserted in post-production behind the small model.

TNG: Devil's Due

When
the miniature passes by the camera (a shot which will be shown again in
"The Mind's Eye"), we can see that the big number "05" was
removed from the roof as well, and consequently replaced with "1701-D". The
shuttle's name is not readable here. Note that the shuttle's impulse drive is evidently
supposed to be located in the aft wall, although there would be
absolutely no room for it if the design is the same as in "The Most
Toys".

Looking into the cockpit, the carpeted wall is still
there. In addition, a jut close to the ceiling is now covered with carpet too,
which was not yet the case in "The Most Toys".

TNG: Identity Crisis

The life-size model was relabeled a bit more extensively for this episode to act as the shuttlepod
Cousteau of the USS Aries NCC-45167. The carpet wall inside the shuttle was
completely removed. Hence the cockpit is larger again, and we can see the sloped
wall with the LCARS screen as it used to be until "The Price".

One more interesting
modification is that a boxy structure was attached to the roof of the shuttle,
but only on the big model, not on the miniature. While we do not see the
miniature in this episode, it will still be unchanged on all later occasions.

TNG: The Mind's Eye

The shuttle is the Onizuka, now with the overall new lettering style and the
corrected number 07. The scene in space at the beginning of the episode is the
aforementioned stock footage from "Devil's Due". In order to make the
cockpit more comfortable for Geordi, one seat was removed and the remaining one
shifted into the middle. Curiously, briefly after the shuttle has landed, the
missing second seat is in place again!

Behind the seat(s) we can still see the familiar sloped
wall with the screen. Furthermore someone accesses the trunk in this episode.
After opening the hatch we can just see a sloped and ribbed wall close to the
hatch, with a small console at its bottom. There is probably nothing like a
cargo hold behind this wall, unlike it was in "The Most Toys". In this light it was not
necessary to resort to the carpet wall again.

On top of the shuttle the new superstructure that was
present already in "Identity Crisis" is clearly visible now. It is unclear
what could be the purpose of the small box, as nothing related to
additional equipment happened in the episode. Anyway, the small miniature was
not accordingly modified.

TNG: In Theory

The
shuttle in this episode, the Voltaire, Shuttlepod 03, has a normal cockpit aft
wall with the screen. But something was changed about the consoles in front of
the pilot. They used to be entirely flat so far, with one touch display for the
pilot and one for the co-pilot. Now there is an additional monitor in the middle
between these two consoles. This was deemed necessary to better demonstrate how
Picard skillfully circumnavigates the dark matter clusters in this particular episode. The
new center display can be seen in a couple of close shots. Otherwise the shuttle
is unchanged.

TNG: Power Play

The
Type-15 shuttlepod in this episode is apparently more spacious than anywhere
else, and it has three
seats instead of two. The additional seat for Counselor Troi is located in the
center aft end of the cockpit, although we know that there used to be just some
50cm clear space between the forward seats and the aft wall. Comparing the new interior view of the "Power Play" cockpit with one from "The
Price", we also find that Data and Riker are now farther apart than Data
and Geordi were in the latter episode (scaled to Data's body). The distance between the windows is
greater as well. The camera distance and the perspective may not be exactly the
same, but it looks like the cockpit has been overall enlarged in two dimensions.
Also note that in "Power Play" no windshield frame is visible,
obviously because the new enlarged interior was built without a front wall.

Some other changes corroborate that we are looking at a
new or significantly redressed cockpit set. The ceiling now consists of two
illuminated fields where there was previously just one. Furthermore the aft wall
is almost completely even, without any displays or consoles. The seats are gray
instead of black and are equipped with seatbelts!

It becomes apparent in the
episode that the shaking of the cockpit was accomplished by means of hydraulics.
Most likely the mock-up would not have survived the procedure, and while the Art
Department was building a new interior set anyway (without the need to care
about how it looked from the outside), they may have enlarged it so as to accommodate
Counselor Troi.

When the shuttle crash lands, one nacelle is separated
from the hull. In order to escape from the shuttle, the crew blow off a round
hatch from the aft end. It is possible that for the damaged shuttle a new
full-scale exterior model was built (which is not in scale with its very own
interior though). Anyway, the round hatch is quite unlike the big lid from
"The Price" and "The Mind's Eye", in which there is
definitely no such hatch. Also, it is inconsistent with the impulse drive in
"Devil's Due" and "In Theory" (and actually with all space scenes
that we have seen) because it would be incredibly dull to place the drive into
the escape hatch.

Finally, we can make out the new superstructure on the
roof of the full-scale version in "Power Play", this time partially
molten. Once again, this very structure is not visible on the miniature.

TNG: The Outcast

There
is nothing notable about the shuttlepod in this episode. Just one corner of it
is visible.

TNG: True Q

We can see
a nameless shuttle mock-up in this episode. The interesting thing is that this
is the only appearance in which the wall between the cockpit and the aft portion
is missing. We can see the cockpit through the opened aft hatch.

TNG: Descent I & II

In this double feature the miniature can be seen in space, as usual, while the
intact full-scale model appears on the planet surface. There are no visible
modifications to any of these two incarnations.

Conclusion

Aside from the name labels, which were frequently modified
on the life-size model as well as on the miniature, the only changes to the
exterior are the revision of the labeling prior to TNG: "The Price"
and the addition of the pod prior to TNG: "Identity Crisis". Here is a
comprehensive list of all modifications to the Type-15 shuttlepod:

The interior was overall modified more extensively, and
this causes some inconsistencies. Most noticeably there is the problem with the
impulse drive which is in the center of the aft wall according to all shots of
the miniature, whereas the "trunk" of the life-size model shown in two episodes definitely
wouldn't allow an impulse exhaust to be located there, much less would the hatch
as seen in "Power Play".

Addendum

A display in the
Enterprise-D shuttlebay lists the available shuttlepods, most likely all of Type 15. It was never readable but is serious enough to qualify as close to canon.
Some names and numbers on the list are of Type-15 shuttles that we actually saw
on the show, some are new. The names on the list are:

Pod 02 - Chris Pike

Pod 05 - El Baz

Pod 07 - Onizuka

Pod 08 - Heinlein

Pod 09 - Lindbergh (misspelled as "Lindberg")

Pod 10 - PT Farnsworth

Pod 12 - Sam Freedle

Pod 14 - Cochrane

Pod 15 - Armstrong

Pod 16 - Curie

Pod 18 - Feynman

It is possible that the shuttle Pike (No. 12?) we saw was
really the one listed as "Chris Pike" (No. 02).

See Also

Credits

Some screen caps by Jörg Hillebrand. Special thanks to Fred Lauzus, who pointed us to the
inverted wedge in "Time Squared" and to the additional appearance in
"True Q" and who provided the concept drawings and additional photos.